Every year on the sixth day of lunar January, San Chi ethnic community organizes their New Rice Festival to wish for a favorable and prosperous year for crops and people.
The festival highlights belief that people getting together after a whole year working on farms will promote spiritual connection not only among them but also among other ethnic communities.
Incense offering and Con receipt are important rituals of New Rice Festival organized by San Chi ethnic community.
The festival includes incense offering for new harvest wishing, Tac Xinh dance, and unicorn dance which start up the festival by throwing out red packets for participating dancers to catch. The activities are meaningful in offerings to and respects of deities.
Most exciting of all is Con tossing. Con pole is erected in the middle of a wide play ground with a semi-circle at the height of 5 to 7 meters. Colorful papers are sticked to cover the semi-circle and those who can tear the papers by tossing Con will win prizes.
In fact, the festival is only featured by systematic organization of San Chi ethnic community in Tam Lap while 12 other ethnic groups fail to preserve their own festivals. However, New Rice Festival of San Chi ethnic community has not become major in Phu Giao District. Thus, they are hoping that with the help of Provincial Party Committee, the festival will stand out as characteristics of the ethnic communities in Phu Giao District.
Reported by Hoai Phuong – Translated by Vi Bao
